MKs Grill Minister over Prisoner Suicide Rumors

Arab and left-wing MKs grill Justice Minister over rumors that state is covering up an Australian man’s suicide.

By Maayana Miskin

First Publish: 2/12/2013, 7:46 PM

Prisoners in Ofer jail (archive)

Flash 90

MK Ahmed Tibi questioned outgoing Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman on Tuesday over rumors that a prisoner in one of Israel’s jails committed suicide. “It was reported that a prisoner with Australian citizenship committed suicide in one of Israel’s prisoners under a different identity,” he said.

Tibi asked Neeman if he could confirm the report, as well as reports that the man had died under a false identity “without being made public the fact that the man was arrested in an Israeli prison.”

MK Zahava Gal-On of the far-left Meretz party grilled Neeman over the rumors as well. “Today we are hearing reports that anonymous prisoners are committing suicide, and nobody even knows they exist,” she said.

“Does it seem reasonable to you that the Prime Minister’s Office summon the committee of editors to prevent affairs that are likely to embarrass the state of Israel from being made public?” she asked Neeman.

Neeman responded to both Tibi and Gal-On by pointing out that the ministry he heads is not responsible for Israel’s prison system. He suggested that they direct their questions to Minister of Internal Security Yitzchak Aharonovich.